This one’s been popping up on a bunch of Instagram accounts this past week, and I’m honestly kind of blown away that I’m just now hearing about it—15 years after LCD Soundsystem’s classic album This is Happening dropped.
The track is called “Jamaica Resting” by The Pool, a project of the late multi-instrumentalist Patrick Keel out of Austin, Texas. It’s a gem in its own right, but it also happens to sound very familiar to fans of LCD Soundsystem. Specifically, it seems to have directly inspired the opening track of This is Happening, “Dance Yrself Clean.”
I like to think I’m pretty dialed into old minimal synth and new wave, but I’m always hunting for those overlooked gems I somehow missed. And this one? It’s exactly that.
A lot of the comments online about this track are calling out how clearly James Murphy lifted from it—without any credit to Keel. And honestly? It’s hard to ignore the similarities. Sure, originality is a murky thing these days, but this one doesn’t feel like a coincidence. The fact that most people are only just now connecting the dots kind of suggests Murphy was content to let it stay buried. Or maybe I’m just late to the party.
Turns out, Dark Entries Records reissued the 6-song EP this track came from back in 2016, so maybe more people knew about this than I thought. Regardless of the backstory, it’s a beautiful piece of music, and I’m glad it finally crossed my radar. Even if Murphy might’ve hoped it never would.
While you’re here, check out the other notable song from the same EP, “Dance it Down”.
